The approach and water treatment techniques selected will depend very much on the types of contaminants which have been identified.

However, homeowners and businesses are responsible for all pipes on their property – including internal pipes and the underground supply pipe which connects your home or business to the public water main. We recommend it’s better and safer to have your tap water tested by the experts at WTS, who can run a series of specialist drinking water tests in the laboratory to identify a range of specific microbiological, metal and chemical contaminants in your water, and determine at which levels they are present. If you do need to use lead pipes, don't drink the water that has been standing in the pipes overnight: Long term exposure may cause headaches, irritability, tiredness, muscle fatigue and can affect brain development in the unborn and children up to 10 years old. Those pregnant and young children are therefore more at risk from lead than adults, although lead poisoning can occur in adults which can lead to serious illness.

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Finding out about lead in your water is only one part of the solution. Lead enters our bodies from many common contaminated sources other than drinking water, such as dust, soil and air. In fact, the EPA says the main source of lead exposure in the United States comes from inhaling dust or eating particles contaminated by paint chips. That’s because lead was a common additive in house paint, gasoline and many other materials for years before its toxicity was known.

If you own a well, test for chemicals, including VOCs (volatile organic compounds) if you become aware of a local chemical spill. Even in properties with no lead pipework there may be other sources of lead in drinking water, such as brass fittings or improperly used lead-based solders. Clear doesn’t mean clean. Get a drinking water test to make sure today. We use science to aid us, and science does not let us down. What’s Included In This Test? Lead is a toxic metal known to be harmful if inhaled or ingested. A potential lead exposure can come from different sources, including soil and dust, food (from contaminated containers or air), ambient air and water (mostly caused by the aforementioned corrosion of plumbing). The degree of harm depends on the level of exposure from all sources. Watersafe Water Lead Test Kit ( single or double ): tests the presence of lead in water. This test will give a positive result if lead is measured above 15ppb* (parts per billion) (or the equivalent of one drop in a large swimming pool). *15ppb = 15µg/l = 0.015ppm (= 0.015mg/l).Mains pipes were generally never made from lead as they were ceramic or iron, but lead was very popular for domestic use as it is relatively soft and was easily moulded into shape.